U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey MTTOT – Montana Time-of-Travel A web-based map application for estimating travel times in response to spills in Montana streams and rivers Peter McCarthy

Recent Montana Spills

National News for 2014  Oil tanker derails in Lynchburg, VA; oil spills into Jamestown River (Apr. 2014)  100,000 gallons of raw sewage spills into Russian River in Guerneville, CA (Feb. 2014)  Coal ash and arsenic-Dan River, NC (Feb, 2014)  3.5 Million gallons of sewage spill into Haw River in Burlington, NC(Jan. 2014)  Storage Tank Leaks MCHM in Charleston WV; Elk River and Kanawha River (Jan. 2014)

 Pipeline leaks 1 million gallons of saltwater near Mandaree, N.D. (July, 2014)

Gold, Russell and Dawson, Chester, (2014, September 21). Dangers Aside, Railways Reshape Crude Market. The Wall Street Journal.

Fresh from the press  January 17, 2015-Bridger Pipeline rupture, oil present in the Yellowstone River  Spill approximately 9 miles upstream from Glendive, MT (population ~5,000)  Estimates of 1,200 bbl or 50,000 gal. spilled from pipeline.  Oil is Bakken shale oil  Glendive public water supply has elevated level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Previous Montana TOT Studies  Computer program for estimating travel times on the Yellowstone River (SIR )  Dye-tracer study for low flows on Yellowstone River (SIR )  Dye-tracer study for low flows on Missouri River (SIR ) All studies funded by MT DEQ

Cooperator Need  Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) responsible for protecting one of Montana’s most important public resources-WATER  DEQ is responsible for maintaining public health through a safe and adequate supply of drinking water  DEQ is responsible for identifying public water systems, sources, and potential contaminant sources, and is required to assess the susceptibility and respond to risks

Cooperator Need  DEQ needs a tool or application which:  Is easy to use  Web-based  Estimates travel times  Identifies public water supplies and other locations of interest downstream from spills (i.e. irrigation diversions, shallow aquifer wells, wetlands, etc.)  Quickly provides estimates based on real-time streamflow

Travel Time Theory  Jobson (1996) developed regression equations to estimate travel times and longitudinal dispersion in rivers and streams  Gregory Schwarz-USGS SPARROW Team is updating Jobson’s equations  Regression/input variables  River slope  River length  Drainage area  Mean annual discharge  Real-time discharge  Spill Mass

Travel Time Theory Jobson’s Equations estimate the following  Most Probable Velocity (best predictor)  Travel times for leading edge, peak, and trailing edge  Peak concentration  Maximum Probable Velocity (envelope curve)  Travel times for leading edge, peak, and trailing edge  Peak concentration

Limitations of Jobson’s Equations  Soluble and conservative contaminants  Streamflow limitations (low flow to bank full)  Steady state flow  Dams, reservoirs, and lakes  Location  NHD+V2-Dams are included  State databases  Accuracy  Parameters  Volume  Discharge  Residence time

Program Development  Hydrologic Network  Map (GIS) based  Web-based

Program Development  User  Real-time discharge*  Spill location  Spill mass  StreamStats  River slope  River length  Drainage area  Mean annual discharge  Real-time discharge*

Program Development  DEQ requirements  Secure login for sensitive info  Tabled output for points of interest  Public water supply locations  Irrigation diversions  Wetlands  Permitted withdrawals for commercial or industrial  Nearby shallow aquifer wells  Map output  Save/Load/Print functionality  Manually enter observed data

Program Development  Development by National StreamStats  Develop base application within StreamStats which employs Jobson’s Equations (or updated version of travel time equations)  Use nearby real-time streamflow gages  Use existing hydrography to determine stream slope, length, and drainage area  Use existing hydrography and local regression equations to estimate mean annual discharge  Develop input/output options

Program Development  Development at state and local level  Regional regression equations for mean annual flow 1  Regional studies for estimating real-time discharge at ungaged locations  Develop database for public water supplies, wetlands, irrigation diversions, and other sites of interests  Dye-tracer studies to validate or develop stream specific travel time equations  Address how travel time is impacted by lakes and reservoirs 1 Updated equations may not use mean annual flow

Funding  Montana  Montana Department of Natural Resources Renewable Resource Grant Program  Application (proposal) submitted through DEQ  Awarded through Montana Legislature  Max $125,000  USGS Cooperative Funding Match

Interests  USGS-Water Mission Areas  StreamStats Team  Will develop the TOT application  Possible FY16 appropriated funds  WY-MT WSC-proposal submitted-Not funded  Proposals and work plans submitted by  Kentucky WSC  New York WSC  Idaho WSC

Additional Research Needs  Local studies for real- time discharge  PRMS  Hydrograph or duration curve comparisons  National Weather Service  Dye-tracer studies  Non-soluble transport  LNAPL  DNAPL

Additional Research Needs  Stream hydrography  Medium Resolution  High Resolution  LiDAR based channel parameters

Additional Research Needs  Spill inundation mapping

Further Discussion  Emergency Spill Response Team  Similar to Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)  Clarks Fork Yellowstone deployments  Funding, equipment, QW tests  Spill response plan

Conclusion  Develop a basic national time-of-travel tool using StreamStats as platform  Basic regression equations  Utilize studies on a state by state basis  Regional studies for enhancing TOT tool  Real-time discharge estimation  Dye-tracer time-of-travel results